Post by EofA on May 3, 2010 21:07:16 GMT -5

Want to apply for an account but not sure how it works? Creating an account is an easy multi-step process: read the Rules, sign up, activate your account, get moderator approval, then personalize your account.

We've detailed it all for you below, including trouble-shooting tips if something goes wrong. Read on....

STEP ONERead the Rules first.

Read the forum RULES to make sure you understand what is expected of members here. Don't create an account if you can't follow those rules. Write to the Moderating Team at agplaythings@yahoo.com if you have questions about the Rules before creating an account.

STEP TWOSign up and Get an Account Activation Code

When you fill out the Proboards form to get an account here, an activation code will be automatically generated and sent to your email on record. Activation codes keep spam 'bots off of our forum, as there are times when sites like ours get spam sent in by automated servers. We only want humans here, not 'bots, so you need to follow through and activate your account.

Assuming you received the activation email, click or copy/paste the link provided. That will take you to the Login page, where you log in with the ID and password you've chosen. If you clicked on a hyperlink in the email, the activation code will already be in place and all you have to do is click to accept. Otherwise, copy the code from the activation email and follow instructions.

Now if you didn't get an email with an activation code, it's usually for one of the following reasons:

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spammity spam. Most often, the activation email gets lost because service providers over-zealously protect their clients from spam with heavy filtering settings. The email was mistakenly tagged as spam. It may have ended up in your junk mail or spam folder, so go check there for it first.

If it's not there, you can try adding the Proboards address into your address book: noreply@proboards.com, then log back into your AGPlaythings account and request to have the activation re-sent. Usually this will allow the email to go through.

If that doesn't work, re-register for an account with a different email address that doesn't get subjected to heavy filtering.

You provided an invalid email address when you signed up. You won't get on this forum unless you activate your account as per the instructions in the email, and you won't get that email if you provided a fake email address when you created an account. If you faked an email address, or made a typing mistake, you need to reapply for another account using a valid email, then check that email to follow the activation steps.

You got the email, but you didn't activate your account.We delete unactivated accounts within 24 hours. So if you try all of the above and get a message that you are not a member here, well, you're not. Your account was deleted because you didn't activate it. In that case, just re-register and immediately activate your account once you get that email.

STEP THREE:Moderator Approval of Your Account

The AGPlaythings Message Forum functions on moderated membership, meaning that the Moderating Team reviews every account application prior to approval. We approve accounts at our discretion based on a fair application of our Rules.

We review new account applications regularly, but please give us at least 72 hours from the time you applied to process your new account. Once that happens, you will receive a second email telling you that your account has been approved.

STEP FOUR:Set Up Your New Account

Once your account has been activated and approved, you can log on! Go first to your Profile by clicking the PROFILE button at the top of this page. From there, you can modify how the forum looks to you. You can change your username, email, or password; select various skins and avatars; choose forum viewing options and board organization, et cetera.

Before you dive into posting, spend some time reading the forum Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. It contains answers to the questions asked most often on this forum and can be of invaluable help to new members.

Finally, get in the habit right off the bat of checking your Personal Messages (PM). You already have an automatically-generated message waiting for you, so look for the "Hey x, you have x messages" line in the upper left side of the board up above and click that to access your PMs.

Welcome to Playthings!

Please know that we do delete unused accounts from this forum if they have not been accessed within a 180 day period. You are welcome to reapply if that happens.